Want a Whitney long shot? Here’s one

SARATOGA SPRING S – Every race, there has to be a long shot. Saturday’s Whitney Handicap at Saratoga Race Course is different. You might want to pay attention to a 5-year-old horse named Hunters Bay, who, along with Endorsement are 20-1 on the Whitney morning line.

The trainer of Hunters Bay is Reade Baker and he has brought his horse to the Spa from Canada. Sound familiar?

Last summer, Baker saddled a hopeless 37-1 outsider named Moonshine Mullin in the Jim Dandy. He finished second, beaten four lengths by Stay Thirsty, who would go onto win the Travers.

Hunters Bay might not go off at 20-1. His odds might balloon even higher, but that’s ok with Baker, a 65-year-old veteran of racing north of the border.

“We fit here, sure we do,” Baker said earlier this week.”Historically, horses used to come from Woodbine and do good here all the time. We think we have a real chance with a horse that wants to go this far.”

The Whitney is 1 1/8 miles, a distance Hunters Bay has never tried. He has won his last three starts, at distances from seven furlongs to 1 ¼ (one mile and a quarter) miles. All of those races came on synthetic racetracks.

Is he trying tougher competion? Absolutely, but Baker said he would not be here if he didn’t think his horse fit.

“I am surprised at his odds, but nobody is going to respect the horse unless he runs with these horses on dirt,” said Baker, who admitted a Whitney win would be the biggest of his career. “They want to see it, right?”